Top News:
Jon Cooper / MLB.com:
Sweet! Harper's hitting streak hits 16 games — ATLANTA — The beat goes on for Bryce Harper. — The Nationals' first-round Draft pick singled in the third inning on Thursday night to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. — Harper lined a single to right field off Delmarva Shorebirds …
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Jon Cooper / MLB.com:
Veteran utility man Cora coming up big — ATLANTA — There isn't much that Alex Cora hasn't seen or any place he's seen it in his Major League career. — The 2011 season is his 14th, and Washington is his sixth team. But one thing never seems to change with him — his propensity to get the job done.
Jon Cooper / MLB.com:
Werth tearing it up at Turner Field — ATLANTA — There are things in baseball you just can't explain. — Then there are things you don't want to explain. — Take Jayson Werth and his mastery of the Braves at Turner Field. The right fielder homered in each of the first two games …
Jon Cooper / MLB.com:
Werth remembers crime spree against Dodgers — ATLANTA — You're not allowed to steal first in baseball, but after that, everything is fair game. — Prior to Thursday's series finale with the Braves, the rarity of stealing home was quite the topic in the Nationals' clubhouse.
NY Daily News:
Bondy: Girardi hoping for BoSox boost — The Yankee-Red Sox rivalry never dies, but it has cooled to a hypothermic state best described as dormant. — That's what we get Friday, when Boston arrives in the Bronx with a sub-.500 record, a pitching staff ranked 12th in the American League and a very recent history of non-contention.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Johnette Howard / ESPN:
Yankees don't look ready for Red Sox — With Boston coming to Bronx, bumbling Bombers blown out by Kansas City Royals — NEW YORK — The way they dove to snag ground-ball smashes and sprinted from gap to gap all night long to take away base hits, the way they batted around in the second inning …
Discussion:
WasWatching.com and Associated Press
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
AP Interview: Schieffer says ‘complexity daunting’ — NEW YORK—The man charged by Major League Baseball with sorting through the finances of the Los Angeles Dodgers is finding a complex jigsaw of companies. As Tom Schieffer traces the money from the baseball team to Frank McCourt …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
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Bill Shaikin / Dodgers Blog:
Selig on Dodgers: ‘The outcome is not predetermined’
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Baseball Nation and MLB.com
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Agent puts kibosh on Royals locking up Hosmer — Agent Scott Boras on Thursday shot down any hopes the Kansas City Royals had of signing burgeoning star Eric Hosmer — to a long-term extension, telling Yahoo! Sports he expects massive increases in television revenue to change the landscape of salaries in baseball.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and Minor League Ball
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Associated Press:
Beltran's 3 HRs Power Mets to 9-5 Win Over Rockies — DENVER (AP) — Carlos Beltran delivered three big blows and fueled a New York Mets offense that was missing some of its biggest bats. — Beltran hit a career-high three homers and drove in six runs to help the Mets beat scuffling Ubaldo Jimenez …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Purple Row and Yahoo! Sports
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Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times:
White Sox need Juan Pierre to be the repair man — OAKLAND, Calif. — The White Sox are going to need better defense in left field and better production at the top of the batting order if they plan to climb their way into contention in the American League Central.
Associated Press:
Orioles Rally to Beat Mariners 2-1 in 12 Innings — BALTIMORE (AP) — J.J. Hardy singled in two runs in the 12th inning Thursday night, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 for a three-game sweep. — After Seattle scored the game's first run in the top half of the 12th …
Discussion:
Camden Chat, Lookout Landing and Yahoo! Sports
Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com:
Who will Pirates take No. 1 overall in Draft? — Bucs' selection draws intrigue with no clear-cut top pick this year — As exciting as the past two First-Year Player Drafts have been, who the No. 1 pick would be had all the drama and intrigue of a trip to the accountant.
